HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 306 [306] The highest sales record set by a Chinese male singer in Japan

Zhang Hao reported the achievements of "Free Loop" in Japan to Qi Yuan.

"29.4 copies in the first week. Your single was released in Japan on a Saturday, so including those two days, your single has sold nearly 40 copies in Japan so far."

Zhang Hao was visibly excited, his face flushed.

Nearly 40 copies sold in nine days means that final sales could potentially exceed one million.

In Japan, a single that sells over a million copies is considered a sign of a huge hit.

Utada Hikaru's debut album sold 200 million copies in its first week, which is a phenomenal phenomenon that most people can't replicate.

Even Utada Hikaru herself can't replicate this. In April of this year, she released her fifth Japanese single, "Wait & See～リスク～", which has only sold a little over a million copies so far.

Ayumi Hamasaki's single "SEASONS," released in June, also sold over a million copies.

There are also those that have sold close to three million copies, such as "TSUNAMI" released by Southern Star in January of this year.

Japanese netizens are raging, asking where the queens of the Heisei era are and why a Chinese singer is allowed to occupy the second spot on the singles sales chart. They feel they've really misunderstood the queens.

Qi Yuan's entry into the Japanese music scene came at just the right time. There weren't any great singers releasing singles recently, which gave Qi Yuan a great opportunity.

That's called luck.

Zhang Hao praised this point: "Your timing for entering the Japanese market is just right. Apart from the TV theme song 'Everything,' there haven't been any Japanese superstars releasing new songs recently, or if they have, the sales haven't been good."

Qi Yuan glanced at her 'strong luck', wondering if it was partly due to her good fortune.

In short, Qi Yuan's single sales have now broken the record of 35 for the Princess.

If sales really break a million, that would be amazing. At least Warner Music America would be willing to provide him with more promotional resources in the early stages, which would be beneficial for his entry into the American music scene.

Qi Yuan glanced at the data table and asked in confusion, "How come sales in South Korea have increased? Did you guys buy sales for me?"

When this was mentioned, Zhang Hao couldn't help but smile: "Because you are Chinese, South Koreans heard that your English single was crushing a bunch of Japanese singers in Japan, and their impression of you improved a lot. They not only mocked Japanese people on their online communities, but also bought your single to show their support."

Qi Yuan: "..."

This was something he didn't expect.

The friendship between Chinese and South Korean netizens depends on Japan, and the friendship between Chinese and Japanese netizens depends on South Korea; this is not just an empty saying.

South Koreans are always willing to chime in when something makes Japanese people unhappy.

At first, South Korean listeners simply thought the song "Free Loop" was good.

Later, I heard that this song was a huge hit in the Japanese music scene, and South Korean listeners were thrilled. They couldn't help but buy a copy to support it.

It's a bit of a shame that Qi Yuan oppa isn't South Korean, which saddened some South Korean girls.

……

When the news of the battle from Japan reached back to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the mainland, all the entertainment media outlets were in an uproar.

[Qi Yuan's new album has stormed into the Oricon charts, soaring to number two!]

Breaking the ice in Japan! Qi Yuan's single debuts at number two on Japan's Oricon chart, achieving the best result in history for a Chinese male singer.

[The King of Chinese Pop has won his first battle on the international stage. Qi Yuan's "Free Loop" will be released in the US market on October 15th.]

After his success in the Japanese music scene, we'll have to wait and see if Qi Yuan can continue to succeed in the American market.

……

Several domestic newspapers are reporting on Qi Yuan. People love reading about it; the headline "Chinese singer Qi Yuan is dominating Japan" makes passersby want to buy the newspaper.

Some major media outlets in mainland China used more cautious language, only saying that Qi Yuan achieved the best result in the history of Chinese male singers in Japan, because there was Deng Lijun ahead of him.

Deng Lijun's era is too long ago. She entered the Japanese music scene in the 1970s and 80s. Sales statistics at that time were relatively backward, and the data was not as accurate as it is now.

To avoid controversy, adding "male" before "singer" is always the right thing to do.

When Qi Yuan's English EP and English album become bestsellers in Japan, we can drop the "male" part.

As always, Hong Kong media exaggerated, saying that Qi was willing to conquer thousands of Japanese girls and steal the hearts of countless Japanese girls.

Qi Yuan didn't care much about these things; what he really cared about was the American market.

When interviewed by reporters, Qi Yuan said the same thing: "I am looking forward to the performance of 'Free Loop' in the American market, and I hope that my English songs will be loved by American fans."

Japanese reporters came specifically to interview Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan replied, "I really like Japanese comics and anime, such as 'Dragon Ball' and 'Detective Conan,' and I also quite like ramen..."

In this regard, Qi Yuande should learn from Brother Cheng Long, who always says he is half a xx person no matter where he goes.

Qi Yuan doesn't want to reach the level of Jackie Chan, but he wants to sell records in Japan, hold concerts in Japan, and have "Bouquet" released in Japan.

He wants to make money off the Japanese, so there's nothing wrong with him saying he likes Japanese comics and ramen.

Love is love, and hate is hate. You can't deny someone's good qualities just because you dislike them.

Japanese anime is indeed excellent, as are their romance films, especially the action-adventure ones. They are absolutely world-class, and I don't think anyone would disagree.
……

When Qi Yuan's statement reached Japan, Japanese netizens and casual fans discovered that Qi Yuan was not as arrogant as the Japanese newspapers had previously described.

Qi Yuan also spoke a few words of Japanese to the Japanese reporter, and her pronunciation was very fluent.

Now it was Qi Yuan's turn to be furious. They unanimously turned their anger towards Warner Music Japan and launched a tirade against them.

All of Qi Yuanjun's marketing in Japan was planned by Warner Bros. Japan, and the press releases that tried to piggyback on Utada Hikaru and Kimura Takuya were definitely also issued by Warner Bros. Japan.

How many Japanese people have been misled by you? You people from Warner Music Japan should all commit seppuku.

Japan Warner: "???"

The people at Warner Music Japan felt wronged. Weren't their marketing strategies very effective? Qi Yuan's single sold so well; they deserve some credit for it.

However, seeing Qi Yuan's single sales figures, they felt indifferent.

Let them scold me, as long as I make the money.

If Qi Yuan's EP and English album sell well in Japan in the future, it wouldn't be a problem for them to find a few people to bow to Qi Yuan's fans, since they are good at that anyway.

Making money is nothing to be ashamed of!
……

Qi Yuan received a phone call from Chen Kaige on October 14th.

"Bouquet" has been submitted to the jury of the Tokyo International Film Festival, which will officially begin on the 28th of this month and continue until the 5th of November. During that time, Qi Yuan will be in Japan for her first concert.

“Ah Yuan, come back and watch the movie when you have time. You’ll see how good it is once you see it.”

Chen Kaige is very confident.

Qi Yuan was somewhat looking forward to it. This was Chen Kaige's second film made without a script, so its quality was self-evident.

(End of this chapter)